The path less traveled
by TheUnforgettableLostGirl
Summary: Sometimes I wonder if my memory is playing tricks on me, but I know very well that that is impossible, I remember everything.


Carrie's POV

I sit down on the couch with a cup of coffee in my hands, I look through the window and see the entrance to the forest in front of my house. When it gets dark it seems to change from a happy environment to a deep and dark forest you would avoid. It's impressive how much light can do to change a place. I like to go there in the mornings though, my daily stroll is always the same, taking a small path into the forest, it's not too far and not too short for a ritual in my day. Birds singing their happy song and sometimes I even sing along. There isn't a single soul that comes here around eight in the morning, dogs are not allowed and children fear this forest. I wouldn't know why but they say it's haunted, I never noticed a thing or at least not on the path. The big abandoned house that you cross when you take the route is a whole different story, I often wonder what is going on there. I have always felt drawn towards the house, it is a mixture of excitement and fear of the unknown at the same time. The forest isn't too dark in the morning, the sun often shines down on the house but it always seems to have a dark glow around it and somehow it always looks different. Not that the architecture changes but the curtains and the objects in front of the window do. Sometimes I wonder if my memory is playing tricks on me but I know very well that that is impossible, I remember everything.

I stare at the path while I think, so suddenly and so quickly a small shadow passes the street lights right into the forest. I frown and try to think of the thing that I just saw, it didn't look like an animal at all. I recall the moment and realize it must be a small child running away from something. I don't even have to think twice, I immediately get up from the couch, if there is a child in there he will get lost and with it is a big possibility that he gets scared. I know the place like the back of my hand so I walk to the kitchen and open the drawer. I find a flashlight and a pair of new battery's. Within a minute I have my gun, coat on and I step out of the door into the dark night with a full moon shining down on me. I cross the street, shine the light onto the path and make my way into the dark forest filled with animals. You never know what you come across but I'm determined to find the little child. Walking down the path I call out for whoever is in there, I don't get any response and doubt my ability once again. I'm tired but I'm not crazy, I saw something that looks like a child and I'm not taking the risks of finding a small body in the morning. After half an hour there is still no sign of a small human, of course it's hard to tell where the path is without flashlight but I should have found him by now. Looking to the right I realize I'm already passing the abandoned house, I stop and shine my light onto the building, it just barely reaches it and again I see the shadow pass the trees towards the door. I can hardly believe it because a child doesn't do that, not unless he knows the place very well and suddenly I doubt if it's a child but I can only relate a monkey to a young human but they don't live here.

I push the old metal fence so I have enough space to walk in I take a deep breath, I hope I making the right decision I think to myself when I walk towards the door of the house. I gently push the it open and shine the light of my flashlight inside the house. "Hello?" I say questioning and wait for a hello back or another sound. It didn't really feel good to enter an empty house with something I have no idea about inside so I grab my gun just in case it's an animal. I see gaps between the creaking wooden floor when I carefully walk over it. Hearing wolfs howl far away in the deep forest and the shadow of branches flying in the wind move over the old wall paper, old candles are covered in dust, I stop and stare. My flashlight gently moves from object to object in the old abandoned house. A portrait stares back me, it's almost like the dark eyes look right through me. Suddenly the sound of a child running upstairs catches my attention, maybe I was right after all there is a young child up here. I carefully make my way to the stairs, like it didn't feel creepy enough in here already there is this big reindeer head hanging on the wall. Shaking the fear for the dead animal off me I continue to climb the stairs step by step. Reaching the first floor I look around and see a small figure standing in the corner of the hallway. "Hello there, I'm not here to hurt you sweetie. Are you hungry?" I ask hoping to get a response from the child that seems awfully afraid of something maybe even me. "yes" The scared, young boy whispers to me. It's sad to see him like this, at this time he should be safe and sound inside curled up with their parents until he has to go to bed. "You can come over to me and I can take you home" I kneel down and hope that it would make him feel comfortable and realize I mean no harm. Slowly he takes a few steps towards me, when he comes closer I can see his blue eyes keep a good eye on me while he walks up to me. He doesn't seem afraid of me anymore now that he sees me and feel his tiny arms wrap around me "My parents don't wake up" I hear him say with so much sadness and disbelieve. "Where are they now?" I ask softly, I see him pull always and quickly point at a door in the end of the hallway.

I tell the boy to stay behind me and I walk up to the door. Holding my gun and my flashlight I begin to prepare myself for whatever I will find behind that door. I slowly push it open , the creaking sound seems to scare the young boy so I tell him it's okay. It didn't take me long before the awful smell of dead bodies reach my nose, I know why his parents don't wake up, shining the light of my flashlight around the room I make sure it's clear from people but in the process I find two bodies laying on the ground and one sitting on a chair. The one on the chair actually frightens me for a second because I realize the person is staring right back at me just like in the portrait, the person is not alive but it does give you the creeps. I close the door again not wanting the young boy to see this, I turn around before I take my phone out of my pocket and dial the phone number of Al, my partner. "Al, I found three people" I didn't have to say more, he already knows what I mean and I'm glad about that knowing that the little boy is still standing next to me. It takes me a short while to explain where I am. I know it will raise a lot of questions in my partners head but for now I don't care. "Are there more people up here?" I ask to make sure there is no one that could surprise us while we wait. The boy nods "but they are all asleep too" the almost whisper reach my ear and I feel very sorry for the boy. He must have gone through a hell of a lot up here, but why did he come back to the house instead of knocking on someone's door when he found his way out of the forest? I decide not to ask more question right now. "Come on sweetie we're going downstairs" I say calmly while I pick him up from the floor and carry him downstairs to wait for the police to arrive.


End file.
